


Scraps

by hernamewasalice



Category: Star Wars
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cute, F/M, Identity Swap, Love, Personality Swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-05-11 13:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5628835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hernamewasalice/pseuds/hernamewasalice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU swap: In which Ben is a scavenger who grew up without a family and in which Rey is Master Skywalker's apprentice on the brink of going to the Dark Side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

He found her by accident. He was digging through piles of trash for scraps and that was when he found her. A ship had crashed far from the town and Ben doesn't hesitate to rummage the place first before anyone else heard about it. However, the ship was broken in pieces and was on fire. He bit his lip -there was no use for him. Ben was about to leave until he noticed something else - a person. He discovered a girl on the ground, unconscious. He knelt down and was about to carry her to town but something in him made him froze in place. He had never seen a girl before - a girl around his age anyways. There were women in Jakku but not as many. Ben blinked in interest, taking the sight of the girl. She was pretty and dressed in dark attire - she's bruised up and Ben feels a stir within him. His body hovered to her even closer. He wanted to kiss her cheek and kiss the bruise away. Her skin looked soft even though she was covered in dirt and scrapes. He touched her cheek lightly - she was breathing slowly but at least she was breathing.

The girl's eyes shot open as she slapped his hand away from her.

Ben backed away, grabbing his wooden staff for defense.

She immediately sat up and pulled out her light saber. "What do you want from me?" she says through gritted teeth, her eyes furrowing. There was a pause as both of them took time to look at one another. The man was a scavenger - dressed in tan and white colored clothing and had messy brown hair. He was dirty and was covered in more dirt than she was. There was something about him that piqued her interest -his mannerisms. He was like an animal. He was an animal in the way he moved - primitive. He was an animal the way he looked at her - with huge curious eyes that locked on to hers. There's a twinge of possessiveness and want in his eyes. Rey felt her lips twitched. She couldn't help but to find him fascinating. He looked at her with innocence and good intention.

He gripped on to his weapon tightly, his eyes on the brightness of her light saber. He had never seen one before. "Nothing," he responds sincerely. "I was merely looking for scraps. You have no worth to me. There is nothing I can gain. I just found you and was going to assist you."

She raised her eyebrow at him but she only sees light in him. "How can I trust you?" she asked, remaining alert as ever.

Ben immediately pulled out his bottle of water. "You can have this," he offered, coaxing her to take the bottle from his hand. He smiles at her slightly and looks at her with awe- he's like a puppy. It disgusts her more that she finds him cute.

Rey shook her head, pushing the water away.

"You need this," he insisted as he put his wooden staff away. "You need to keep yourself hydrated. Look it's safe." He takes a drink first and swallows slowly before smiling brightly at her.

She senses it - the goodness in him. She takes her time to read his thoughts - they are nothing but well meaning and kind. Rey frowned but took the bottle, eyeing his calloused hands. Rey looked at the beat up bottle and eyed him - he's watching her with those bright eyes again. She wants to refuse to the drink the water but her thirst catches up to her, burning her throat. She takes her time to put her light saber away before drinking the water.

He watches her drink, a smile developing in him. She was very beautiful - he had never seen anyone so beautiful before. "I like the color of your eyes," he comments, unaware of how inappropriate it was to say to a stranger. Her eyes were hazel with tints of green - it was the shade of green he dreamed of his whole life.

Rey rolled her eyes.

"What is your name? Mine is Ben."

"...Rey," she murmured as she handed him the empty bottle.

"Rey- I like that. It suits you," he said. "How are you? Are you hurt?"

She moved her body and winced. Her right ankle was sprained.

He sensed her pain. "I better get you to town - can I carry you?"

She thinks for a long time but reluctantly she nods, knowing that she had no other choice.

Ben grins and eagerly puts her on his back. He starts walking without any struggle.

She wraps her arms around his neck for support. He was strong - he's carrying her as if she was weightless. "You're a very eager being, do you know that?" she commented through a mutter.

"Yes, I've been told that my whole life," he laughed.

"You should do something about it."


	2. Chapter 2

She cringes in his grasp. He's very dirty - he was covered in more soot than her who just had been in an accident. What felt like hours in his hold ends in an instant. Ben places her down in his cot carefully and gave her a warm smile.

Rey glared in response.

He laughed.

"Took you long enough," she muttered. It felt so long being in his arms - hours, days, months even. To his offense, they had to stop by to get medicine before taking her to his little home. Her ankle's all bandaged up now, taken care of. All she needed was a few days rest but there was no way she was going to let herself stay with him. She barely knew him.

"Sorry," he smirked. He thinks she's playing hard to get so he's relaxed, content as ever. "You must be hungry - let's share a portion," he said, digging through his bag.

He pulled it out - it's half a portion. It's not enough to feed the both of them. "It's alright," she says immediately. "I'm not very hungry."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she sighed, shifting in his bed. She's thinking hard, attempting to figure how to get out of this miserable planet. Her ship's destroyed and she barely has any money to get a new one. The only thing she could afford was probably a few days worth of portions but that's it.

Ben went closer and sat on the ground, his hands pressed against the edge of the cot. "How are you?" he asks, examining her.

Rey shifted again, attempting to shrug off gaze. "I'm better," she said without any emotion. She doesn't want to feel. She doesn't want to think much of him.

"What happened?"

"I don't know - I was flying my ship and suddenly someone shot me down." That was half the truth. The other half was that she was running away from her training. From the Resistance. The Light Side. She doesn't know why she got shot down, that was the part that she didn't get.

"You were in the area," he answered her thoughts. "People here will do anything to get scraps."

Her eyes narrowed. "That really isn't fair."

Ben sighed. "Yeah, it isn't. It isn't right - but you can't control other people's actions."

"Does this happen periodically?"

"Yeah," he laughs. Yes, it does. Too often, he wants to tell her. It's survival of the fittest here, everyone for themselves. "Where are you from?" he asks.

"I don't know," she answers, unable to hide her sadness. She ran away from everything she knew and now she doesn't where she belongs.

"It's alright," he rested his head against the cot. "I don't know where I'm from either."

"You weren't always here?"

Ben laughed. "No. I was left here when I was little boy."

"You don't have anyone?"

He shook his head. "No," he whispered. He whispers his answer not out of sadness or self pity but to the way she looked. She looked so lost, so cute even with the defensive expression on her face. She looks so soft, he wanted to caress her in his arms.

"I don't have anyone either," she says in a low voice. She had just left everyone she knew and loved, her family. Her friends. "But I need to find a way out of here."

"You're in no condition to leave yet," he says reasonably. Ben would be lying if he said he didn't want her to stay a bit. He had never been so close to a girl his age before.

"I need to find a place to stay for a bit -

"You can stay with me."

"I can take care of myself," she snapped.

"Yes but I want you to stay," he admits.

Rey glared at him even more. "Why?" she asked defensively.

Ben smiled to himself. "It's the right thing to do - and I don't know - there's something about you."

A blush escapes her but she keeps herself level headed. He's a stranger. She doesn't know anything about him. "Don't expect anything from me," she responded coldly. She knows how men work, how they expect favors in return. She can see his thoughts, those thoughts he was attempting to keep from her. He presents himself in an innocent manner but she knew he was wild.

"I don't. I just want to help you because it's the right thing," he gave her a lopsided smile. His wild hair covers his eyes then. He looks so much like a boy. He hopes though, she knew. He hopes that maybe she'll accept his flirting, his advances. She can sense it, him thinking about holding her and petting her. It repulses her and yet...scares her.

"You're messy," she comments. Her nose crinkled. "And your cot's a bit dirty."

Ben laughed and blew the hair from his face. "Well I was carrying something dirty."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You should bathe," she said in a hard voice.

"And you should bathe too," he countered. Ben paused. "There isn't enough water or soap though," he exhaled. He doesn't have much - he has barely enough portions to feed himself, let alone bathing. He only bathed once a week or so when he gathered enough items to barter with.

Rey used all her strength to flip herself on her side. She took out some money from her pocket. "Here," she says, giving it to him absentmindedly. She doesn't give him everything - that would be stupid. She gives him enough to get water and soap and another portion but nothing else.

"No. I can't -

"Take it. Do us both a favor and bathe please." He really does smell but she knew it was because he was sweaty from carrying her and running.

"I'll pay you back -

"Just bathe and we'll call it even."


	3. Chapter 3

"What took you so long? It felt like you were gone for months," she says dryly. She's not annoyed but she was curious.

"I kept getting asked about you," he responds, shaking soot from his hair. He's carrying a medium size container of water and a bag.

Rey's eyes widened. Does anyone know who she was? "What did they ask you about?"

"They asked if you were my lover because a few saw me carry you."

She let out a relieved sigh. "People shouldn't be so nosy," she says coolly, brushing it off.

Ben placed the items down and pulled out a little tub, bucket, and pan from the back of his home. He grabbed some scraps and a found sheet of sail and created a curtain - a cover. She watches him create a little bathing space in fascination. He's quite a builder. "You will bathe here," he stated as he poured half the water into the bucket.

"I don't have any spare clothes with me - they're in my ship -

"You can wear my clothes."

"No it's fine -

"I do have more than one set of clothes," he gives her a wicked grin.

She opened her mouth but sighed. "Alright."

********  
When she goes to the tub, she's reluctant to strip. Rey examined the fabric that was held up together to be a curtain, making sure that it wasn't see through. It was thick, sturdy (well duh it was part of sail). She can't see through it but she can see his shadow - his silhouette. She waited until his shadow was gone. She peeled each layer of clothing off and stepped into the small tub. She dabs herself in a bit of water and began to scrub her whole body and a bit of her hair. She scrubs her face until its raw and then washed her body off.

She doesn't want to use all of the water that he poured into the bucket and so she saves half for him.

She's done bathing but she sits in the small tub and shuts her eyes. She took deep breaths and focuses on the warmth of the murky water, allowing her muscles to relax.

She's so lost - so confused - and yet she was grateful to bathe after all she had been through. She's been running away for two weeks - from everyone. She first ran away from Master Skywalker because she couldn't meet his expectations. She wasn't strong enough. And so she went to Master Snoke - who promised to teach her strength and power but after a few days with him, she ran away. Master Snoke's methods were cruel and questionable.

Rey didn't know where to go. She felt lost - torn between two sides.

No matter what side she chose, she will be a traitor to the other. She couldn't win. She couldn't be happy.

Right now she's in the middle, frozen in time in this backwoods planet.

It's sort of comforting.

"Are you okay?" Ben asks from a far, the curtain still protecting her form him. "You've been bathing for a while."

She opens her eyes - she must have dozed off. The water was so nice that she fell asleep. "I'm fine," she hollered. "I just had more dirt on me than I realized."

"Oh I see," Ben says slowly. Unknown to her, he was able to see her silhouette. He saw her shadow - hunched over in the tub, sitting still in despair. He doesn't say else. It wasn't his place.

She gets out and drys herself in a somewhat clean towel. She gets dressed in the clothes he laid out for her. The clothes are the same colors as his - light beige and tan. They're big on her, the cut off trousers are long on her and the shirt was more of tunic than anything else. It was so big that she wrapped a scarf around her chest and torso to give hint of her waist. She even had to wear one of his belts to keep the pants from falling off. The belt was too big for her even that she had to wrap it around twice to hold her pants in place. Before stepping out she wrapped bandages around her arms, protecting her scrapes from any other affection.

Her hair is still wet and so she does nothing with it.

After she managed to make his clothes into something fitting on her, she steps from out of the curtain for him to see.

He stared at her with those unwavering eyes of his.

"I look ridiculous don't I?" she mumbled. She feels like midget in his clothes.

Ben quickly shook his head. "No. It suits you. You look like me now," his voice went low. Dark.

She senses it, the darkness in him. Everyone had darkness in them - the potential for power.

"You mean it looks like I belong to you." She's aware that she's in his clothes but there was something in the way he said it. "You wouldn't want me," she says, answering the thought that was running in his mind. He wants her that way - he wants her to be his. The craziest thing is that she knows this before he does. Ben was so disconnected from himself and his own emotions that it's quite depressing. As on now, he's aware of his attraction towards her but wants only friendship. He doesn't even know yet that he wants more from her. "If only you knew who I am."

"I already know who you are. You are Rey Kenobi."


	4. Chapter 4

"Your light saber gave it away," he responded simply.

Rey was about to open her mouth but he's making his way towards the tub to bathe. She turns away to the opposite direction, her hand covering the side of his face. "That proves nothing," she yelled out.

He's humming as he scrubbed layers and layers of dirt off his skin. "That proves everything."

********

"You must go back," he tells her in an ordering tone. He's clean now, fully clothed and all, shaking his damp hair like a wild beast.

"To where?" she asks warily.

"Master Skywalker of course!" Ben exclaimed.

"Why am I even listening to you? I barely know you -

"And yet you owe me your life," he shot back, his temper getting to him. He was hot headed as he was loyal. "Trust me. Go back to Master Skywalker. Continue your training. Snoke sounds like nothing but bad news."

"And what about you?"

A grin crept over his face. "What about me?"

She grimaced and then glared at him. "Don't flatter yourself. It's only fair for me to be concerned about you. After all you saved me" - she paused then. "Where will you go?"

He raised his eyebrow. "Nowhere. This is my home."

"Don't you want to go outside this planet? Explore?"

He shook his head and shrugged absentmindedly. "No. I like stability."

Rey bit her lip. She loved traveling. She loved the stars and being boundless. "What life is this? Scavenging for a living? Barely surviving?"

"It's home."

"I must repay you back for your kindness," she insisted. "What do you want?"

"Nothing." He wanted to help her because it was the right thing to do. He didn't expect anything.

"Do you want money?"

Ben shook his head.

"Jewels? Food?"

He shook his head again. "There is nothing that I want."

"Surely you want something. You're human. We all want things. Come with me then and once you find something that you want, I will give it to you," she says in a strong manner. She flinched in agitation.

He blinked. "You want me to go with you?" he asked in disbelief.

"Did I stutter?" she mumbled, her cheeks becoming red.

He grinned then, slightly licking his lips. He wanted to kiss those freckles of hers. "For how long?"

She winced. He plans on going back to Jakku. "Until I get tired of you," she said sharply.

"I see. Not very long then."

*********  
She waited a few days for her ankle to heal and once it did, they got ready to leave.

She spent hours fixing her ship while he packed up and got supplies and food. She finished in a couple hours and decided to go to the trading post and wait in line with him.

To her dismay, she found him standing in line surrounded by a few girls. The girls were younger than her, two years or so, and were hovering him- giggling and touching his hair. The second Rey went to him, the girls' mood changed into a quiet hostility. They examined her for a long time.

"Rey!" he exclaimed in excitement. "Did you finished early?"

"And yes I did."

"So this is the girl," one of the girls said coldly.

"Your girlfriend's really pretty," the other girl said with bitterness.

"She's not my girlfriend, Nim," he corrected. "She's just a friend."

The girls' faces softened in relief.

The girls hovered him, following his every move until Ben was about to step into Rey's ship. They gave him tight hugs and kisses on his cheek before they left.

Rey waited to speak once they started to fly. "You're quite popular with the girls," Rey said dryly, her eyes on the sky. She wondered if he had any relations with them.

"They're just close friends," he said, oblivious to everything. "They're like sisters to me."

She became silent and focused on flying the ship.

He tries to have a conversation with her but Rey doesn't say anything until a thought became stronger than her stubborn nature. "Are they the reason that you don't want to leave?" she asked.

Ben examined her. She's jealous - her face is all red in frustration. "No," he smirked.

"Then why do you want to stay? You have no significant other. You have no wealth. You barely survive -

"It's home. It's all I know since I was left there."

"Who left you there?"

"I don't even remember," he exhaled. He bit his lip and his eyes disconnected from everything. "I don't know anything about my family. Perhaps I did know but I've forgotten about it. It was such a long time ago."

"How long?"

"Twenty three years."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty eight. And you?"

"Eighteen."

"You're the same age as Nim," he smiled.

"Oh."

"Do you want to know something? You are the only person that managed to convince me to leave Jakku. Even thought it's temporary, it's still something."

"That doesn't mean anything." It meant everything.  
***********

"You're nervous," he gathered the expression from her face. Her shoulders were tense and she was pale. "How is Master Skywalker like? Is he kind?"

"Kind but demanding. He's doesn't sympathize. Doesn't have any empathy."

"And yet you wanted to go to Snoke. He must be worse," he snorted.

Rey flashed him a look. "But Snoke is forgiving."

"I don't trust him. You're better than that."


End file.
